--- title: "How World War I changed how and what Americans eat at meal times" description: "Food patriotism didn’t stop with some simple name changes. Propaganda campaigns affected what Americans would eat." date: "2023-01-05" modified: "2023-01-05" authors: - name: "Blake Stilwell" job_title: "Editor-In-Chief, Air Force Veteran" link: "https://www.wearethemighty.com/authors/blake/" url: "https://www.wearethemighty.com/mighty-history/how-wwi-changed-what-americans-eat/" categories: - "History" - "War History" - "World War I" tags: - "Food" - "Military History" - "World War I" --- # How World War I changed how and what Americans eat at meal times ![WWI changed what Americans eat food nara]() *(National Archives)* When German immigrants came to America, they brought the traditional staples of the German dinner table with them. Beer, sausages, and sauerkraut became almost overnight sensations. Then came World War I, and although Americans weren’t ready to completely give up these delicacies from across the Rhine River, they were going to rename them. **Related: [11 regional American foods we’d like to see in MREs]()** Of all the foods most closely associated with German cuisine, one stands out above them all: sauerkraut. Sauerkraut was not created in Germany (it actually dates back to ancient Chinese cooking), but many would argue that the Germans perfected it and made it their own anyway. Its long history didn’t keep it from being a target of outrage during the First World War. When the United States entered World War I, it came after a series of significant German provocations, which triggered a backlash. In 1915, German submarines sank the British steamer Lusitania, killing 123 Americans. The U.S. threatened to cut off diplomatic ties with the German Empire if it continued its campaign of unrestricted submarine warfare. The Germans agreed to stop. ![WWI changed what Americans eat lusitania nyt]() *(New York Times)* Finally, in 1917, British spies intercepted a communique from Germany to Mexico expressing support for a Mexican invasion in the American Southwest. This note, now known as the [Zimmermann Telegram](), was published in the American press. Combined with an announcement that Germany would resume its submarine warfare without regard for the nationality of passengers, the United States finally declared war on the Central Powers. At home, areas with the largest German immigrant populations expressed the largest anti-German sentiment. It was now unpatriotic to be of German descent. German-language newspapers folded, schools stopped teaching the language, and even city names were changed to sound less German. Then, they came for the German food. Unwilling to actually stop eating German food, they simply changed the names of the most common foods so the food sounded more patriotic. Hamburgers suddenly became “Liberty Steak,” frankfurters became “Liberty Sausage,” and sauerkraut was now referred to as “Liberty Cabbage.” ![WWI changed what Americans eatsauerkraut cc]() *Updating the image of sauerkraut is no small feat. (Katrin Gilger)* But food patriotism didn’t stop with some simple name changes. Propaganda campaigns to draw American civilians into the war effort became commonplace. Buzzwords, catchphrases, and slogans that we might think got popular in the 21st Century actually began appearing around 1917. Phrases like “Meatless Monday” and “Eat Less Wheat” got their start with War Department advertising more than 100 years ago. As part of a nationwide effort to conserve food staples for the men fighting the war, certain items became unavailable. American companies, true to their capitalist roots, quickly stepped in to create substitutes. Many of these substitutes are still used today, and some even supplanted the products they were meant to replace only temporarily. Vegetable shortenings like Crisco replaced lard, while wheat cereals were replaced with oatmeal, and honey replaced sugar in some areas, just to name a few. Some government-led campaigns even created recipes for common household staples that look a lot like the fitness fad diets of today. People began eschewing red meat in favor of fish. Wheat-based baking was supplanted with gluten-free alternatives, such as potato flour and cornstarch. Even the way people buy food changed in response to the need to support troops overseas. Full-service grocers could not keep up with consumer demand and the influx of new alternatives, so stores began opening that put the workload on shoppers, allowing them to browse aisles of replacement products themselves. These “supermarkets” stayed open after the war ended. The effort was worth it. The United States was not only better [supplied with food]() during the war, it was able to double its food shipments and provide food aid to allied countries affected by the war. As for the German staples, hamburgers, frankfurters, and even sauerkraut were all welcomed back into the American lexicon—and were even sold in supermarkets. ### Don’t Miss the Best of We Are The Mighty ##### • [The 9 worst creations Americans called food during World War II]() ##### • [How WWI changed how and what Americans eat at meal times]() ##### • [10 food favorites invented by the U.S. military]() ## Author Blake Stilwell is We Are The Mighty's Editor-in-Chief, covering military news, entertainment, and history, along with veteran education, employment and entrepreneurship. He is a former U.S. Air Force combat cameraman with degrees in Graphic Design, Television and Film, International Relations, Public Relations, Business Management and Middle Eastern Affairs. After leaving the military, he began working in film and television production in New York and Los Angeles, work that included ABC News, NBC Olympics, and HBO Sports. He then spent two years in Washington with White House Communications, before joining the Near East Foundation. At NEF he served as an International Development Fellow, then Communications Officer, and finally, Media Officer for the Middle East and Africa. Based in the Palestinian Territory, he coordinated strategic communications between eight country offices, international media, and government and NGO partners. He began a career focused on writing and editing in 2015 with We Are The Mighty. He left in 2019 for Military.com, but returned as Editor-in-Chief in 2025. Blake’s work has been seen on CBS News, Fox News, CBC, The Chicago Tribune, Task & Purpose, Military Times, Recoil, Skillset, American History, and was shockingly even used in a Supreme Court argument. He is an avid traveler and small business owner in Ohio, where he spends most of his energy fixing up a very old house. ### Author social links [Facebook]() [Twitter]() [Instagram]() [LinkedIn]()